Partway through my Batman movie marathon. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight done. Going to have lunch and do some work then I'll be ripping open my fresh Dark Knight Rises Bluray to finish the trilogy off.

The last Spider-Man. Really glad it brought back some real Spidey feeling! Martin Sheen was casted perfectly I'd say. Works on another level than the Raimi ones.

Interestingly, the critics I've read so far seemed all rather dissapointed....only problem I see is that the last installments got so boring, they had to overdraw Peter Parker (a tad too much imho) for better contrast. Good movie, will watch it soon again.

Watched Shutter Island, a psychological thriller. It just did not click for me. Without giving the story away, it took a turn I did not expect, which is not necessarily bad, but the execution was below my expectations.

On the other hand we just finished up the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the umpteenth time. You don't see epics like this very often.

If you ever wondered how they made 6' tall actors hobbit size, besides using short doubles for long shots, this is another method- forced perspective.

Saw Shame by Steve Mc Queen today (no, not the Bullit one). Liked it a lot and must say that Fassbender is one of the most interesting actors at the moment imho. Second movie was Ghost in the Shell (again).

Watched War Horse. Dozed off now and then... If you want to see a good horse movie, go see the Black Stallion (1979), an incredibly beautiful, atmospheric, rich, and touching movie. It's rare to see a director's vision turn into such a splendid example of cinematic art.

Quote:

Originally Posted by twietee

Please report back when you saw it. I'm curious.

Will do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jahoys

going to see The Hobbit on IMAX in 24 hrs. very excited! will report back on my impressions

Looking forward to it, your impression. No spoilers please. <- a joke

My plan right now is to say screw it and watch the first one on video. My impression is that this, turning a novel into multiple movie installments, is a rather recent phenomena. In some movies there is an aspect that they had to take short cuts to get the entire story told in one movie. But in this case, I absolutely hate that they took a fairly short novel like this and turned it into 3 movies. Artistic duty, my arse! This is a case where box office $$ was the over riding factor. I don't care what they claim.

For me the highlight of the story is their journey to the lonely mountain and their adventures along the way and their interaction with Smaug. This is the primary plot, help the dwarves reclaim their home and treasure. I'll see Smaug in whichever installment he appears.

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The last Spider-Man. Really glad it brought back some real Spidey feeling! Martin Sheen was casted perfectly I'd say. Works on another level than the Raimi ones.

Interestingly, the critics I've read so far seemed all rather dissapointed....only problem I see is that the last installments got so boring, they had to overdraw Peter Parker (a tad too much imho) for better contrast. Good movie, will watch it soon again.

I watched The Amazing Spiderman this week and thought it was good as well. It's a different take with such an early focus on Peter's parents.

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I watched The Amazing Spiderman this week and thought it was good as well. It's a different take with such an early focus on Peter's parents.

How did you like the 'older' ones? I ask, because I see a lot of people disliking the newer installment - most of them do love the Raimi ones (which were soso imho). Maybe I do remember them incorrectly, but there where so much more Spidey moves, postures and jokes in the new one, kind of necessary trademarks - they reminded me onto the McFarlane era somehow.

Gwen and his parents are great themes and will be explored even more in the upcoming ones...so happy with this one.

One thing I miss, and think they will never come up with it, because it's hard to explain to the viewer and brings it near to the comics: I kind of hate the static 'sunglasses' he always wears with his mask. It was a great invention of the comics, I forgot who did this - maybe Larsen or McFarlane, to bring much more (exaggerated) movement into the eyes.

Will watch Superman II - the Richard Donner version tonight. Think I' ve never seen it before.

And actually would appreciate greatly a Namor movie within the next few years...

How did you like the 'older' ones? I ask, because I see a lot of people disliking the newer installment - most of them do love the Raimi ones (which were soso imho).

I collected comics when I was younger and still have my collection even though I don't actively purchase anymore. Thus, I generally enjoy all super hero and comic based movies. Of course they aren't all movie masterpieces, but simply watching comic characters come to the big screen is entertaining to me.

I enjoyed the Raimi Spiderman series and thought the actors overall did a good job with the characters. I thought this new one did capture some different aspects of Peter Parker's personality and the effects were well done.

Typically, I try not to overanalyze comic book based movies. I sort of see it like I see the books themselves. Comic characters are not static, but dynamic. They change or evolve with each new artist and writer. They also change over time as our culture changes. Each movie director is going to have a slightly different take on the characters and want to emphasize different parts of the story. Thus, while there might be some specific things that I don't like or appreciate, it doesn't affect my ability to enjoy the overall storytelling experience.

I think this is an interesting change in movies that we really haven't seen that much of where as it is common in the comic world. Those familiar with comic books refer to the Frank Miller Batman or the McFarlane Spiderman in contrast to other artists/writers version of the character. We are beginning to see this on the big screen as well with different directors taking on the same beloved superheros each with their own style. We can now contrast the Burton Batman/Joker with the Nolen Batman/Joker or the Raimi Spiderman with the Webb Spiderman. All in all I think this dynamic is only going to serve as a boon to the fans who will get to enjoy each new iteration of their favorite superhero story.

Growing up my friends and I had the superhero TV shows and cartoons of the 60's & 70's to watch, but we often talked about how cool it would be to see a superhero done well on the big screen. That childhood dream has now become a reality as the advancements made in technology and special effects can now realistically bring the make believe world of superheros to life. From this perspective I say, keep them coming. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a good story.

Edit:
I probably should add that I'm a father to two boys ages 7 and 3. In addition to the big screen there is a whole new generation of superhero cartoons that are really cool as well like Young Justice, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heros, Superhero Squad, and Ultimate Spiderman.

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I'd love to see the Jae Lee version. Great artist and it would make the darkest and rawest Spider-Man I can think of. But, like you, I'm pretty much out of collecting for more than ten years or so, I missed the latest developments / changes of course.

Or a Jae Lee - style Namor in black and white. That'd be awesome, Stan!

Just watched The Hobbit (3D IMAX, HFR!), everything about it was incredible. The little flutters of Del Toro's style are a very nice touch, but it all fits together really well. I love how light and airy it feels compared to LOTR, at least this early in.

The tech was amazing too. I hope HFR catches on, it was strange at first but action sequences were very easy to follow, and the wide panning shots triggered my fear of heights! There are a few of those typical 3D shots where something deliberately comes out at the camera, but overall it's mostly subtle like Prometheus was.

Will watch Superman II - the Richard Donner version tonight. Think I' ve never seen it before.

And actually would appreciate greatly a Namor movie within the next few years...

Watched the first Superman. Reeves is nothing but cool - as is Gene Hackman - unfortunately I was quite exhausted so couldn't appreciate the whole movie as I should have.....and taTA: just found out that The Sub-Mariner is, according to iMDB, in development! Best news of the day! Any IMDb-pro's in this forum/thread? Because data isn't available. Fingers crossed for Zack Snyder interpretation of Jae Lee

Edit: the circle's completed: Snyder is working on the Man of Steel for 2013

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Originally Posted by mscriv

Typically, I try not to overanalyze comic book based movies. I sort of see it like I see the books themselves.

Hmmm, why not actually? I thought you, as a pro-analytic, could give us some more insight...I don't do it myself too much either but, for example felt the last two Batmans quite interesting. Lots of (more or less subtle) propaganda imho.

And since I wasn't into DC at all while collecting, I learned about Frank Miller first with Sin City, I believe it was his first big impact on the screen ?, and frankly not sure about him since I read some articles about his latest work - forgot the name, but sounded pretty damnable imho. You know something about it / him?

I think 3D @ 48fps will be polarising, but I kind of liked it. It did take some getting used too, but overall it makes 3D watchable I think. No more motion blur, everything looks very, very crisp.

It was the first time I truly appreciated the new 4K projectors used in my choice cinema, everything was so vivid.

Just a side note though: Knowing that he has three films to work the plot into, Peter Jackson takes his sweet time with the pacing. It's exciting in places and overall I loved it, but yeah...just bear that in mind.